The Female Focus: Kaitlin Fritz

Meet the co-founder of Musemio

Kaitlin, along with her female co-founder, wants to make arts and cultural education fun for the kids of today. Musemio blends digital and physical learning that bridges culture with curriculum. We met Kaitlin at our workshop with Startups Magazine and Mac&Moore and we’re excited where Musemio goes next to make cultural learning accessible and immersive.

Did you have a female role model or someone you admired as a kid? 

I think for me my number one role models have been in my family. I have always been surrounded by professional, driven women since a young age. My mum, first and foremost, went back to university in her 40s to follow her passion and become a teacher. There is no age limit on dreaming! I’m also the youngest of 4 siblings, and my sisters have become really successful in law and medicine. 

How do you think your early years have influenced what you do today?

In those early years I didn’t realise how the dots linked together until looking back on it all. As a kid, I was painting before I was writing. I had a creative spark but didn’t know how to harness that. I was the kid saying to my parents, “I’m gonna save the world!”. Now I have honed my creativity and love for the arts and am seeing tangible results from these passions colliding.

What was the spark in which Musemio was born? 

It wasn’t my spark but that of my co-founder Olga who had the idea for Musemio for 2 years. We met at a University of London-wide marketing hackathon programme. It was a serendipitous moment - she wanted to make museums more interactive, whilst I  wanted to make the arts more accessible. We swirled the ideas together, and Musemio was born. For forever, I’ve had a passion, and I didn’t know how to do it. Meeting Olga changed it all. She’s got a background in arts management and the technical know-how that I didn’t have to make it a reality.

What has been your most exciting milestone so far?

For me, it was the findings from a big piece of research we did with the UCL Educate and xEdu  in which we tested 3,000 kids over the course of 6 months. We visited schools across the UK - at one point we saw 400 kids in one day! - and across the spectrum, from those with different backgrounds, learning abilities and ethnicities. The reaction to Musemio from the children was so encouraging. They were genuinely excited and interested to learn and tugging on their parents’ arms to get them to sign up to Musemio.

Musemio’s ambition is to make cultural education accessible to every child. That’s no mean feat. How are you taking the steps to reach so many children?

We’ve partnered with Bethnal Green Ventures because although we’re a commercial entity, we have a social mission to work with museums and charities, as well as create access to all with a set of free levels. We have worked with children in London who have never even stepped foot in institutions like the British Museum, and we think that needs to change.  We’re eager to help bridge this gap to knowledge and access for children.

What has surprised you most about building Musemio? 

There are both good and bad surprises. The best is seeing your ideas come to fruition in a way you didn’t think was possible. Things change so quickly and getting the recognition from universities and outlets has been amazing, as has the reaction from kids, who are definitely our harshest critics. When you are in the tech space though, there are so many bugs and glitches you have to deal with. Entrepreneurship is the road of surprises!

What have been the essential factors that have enabled you to get to where you are today that you think you'd struggle without?

Our mentor support has been incredible. We’re connected to women in business and industry specific experts in the arts and education sectors, who have paved the way for us. Our universities have helped accelerate us, and it’s been necessary as two foreign women in London. Our mentors provide a non-judgemental, supportive space for us to learn and grow.

What do you think is missing from businesses in building true diversity?

I actually gave a talk about this the other day to university students! People don’t realise diversity is so critical. The world doesn’t need another you on its team, but teams need people with a variety of skills and backgrounds to strengthen and challenge ideas and solutions. I’ve been lucky enough to have been a judge on different entrepreneurship schemes and competitions, and unfortunately teams still look the same. People have to recognize the benefits of diversity and apply this on their teams.

Who's a woman to watch or someone you admire in 2019?

I think Marie Forleo, founder of B-School and author of book Figureoutable, is up there as someone making huge strides in being honest in business. Also, there are so many women in the London enterprise network worth mentioning, but if I listed anyone I’d be leaving out plenty more. I admire the startups coming out of London universities from diverse backgrounds tackling issues like women’s health, educational equity, and new financial solutions. More and more women are getting vocal about entrepreneurship and bringing forth new directions with their visions.

Check out what Musemio is doing right now on Twitter and Facebook.

The Female Focus: Hui Wang

Meet

Hui Wang, founder of Zebee

We had the pleasure of connecting at our workshop with Mac&Moore and Startups Magazine last year and this woman is on a mission to get people connected. Zebee is a community platform for people in their 20’s and 30’s who seek awesome experiences and friendships. Find out how Hui is making it happen.

Did you have a female role model or someone you admired as a kid?

No, not really. That’s probably why I didn’t really want to have a business for a long time. I wanted a normal life, nothing too crazy. I quit my job and went travelling and realised how difficult it is to meet people and travel with. I wanted to solve that problem, more than I was drawn to the concept of building a business. 

How do you think your early years have influenced what you do today?

It’s based on a bit of everything. I hated business from an early age - mainly because my dad was (and is) a businessman and was away a lot. My parents divorced and my mum then set up a business and then I recently found out that my great grandparents had done the same. It clearly runs in the family. As much as I disliked the concept of business as a child, I’ve come to realise that these were all positive influences on me down the line. I took a leap of faith to set up a business. I waited until something triggered me to take that jump. 

Before Zebee you honed your career in product development at brands such as John Lewis, Net A Porter and Rightmove. What skills have you been able to take with you into your venture? 

My soft skills have been invaluable and actually more so than my tech skills. I started gaining these skills at university when I was social secretary of the maths society running loads of events. Having worked in tech for several years I’ve learnt the importance of good practice and process and constantly communicating with people have all served me well in getting Zebee off the ground. 

Is there anything that has surprised you in building Zebee? 

Everything! It definitely hasn’t gone the way I thought it would. For example, the product and business model have changed a lot. The only thing that hasn’t wavered is the vision.

Zebee is a London based community platform for people in their 20’s and 30’s. What’s your ambition for the brand as it starts to take off?

I want to turn Zebee into a global community of people who want to do fun things with each other. Building an online platform is not my main goal - I want to do the reverse and bring people offline. There are so many apps these days and people aren’t connecting. They are lonely, they can’t trust people or companies and they don’t know who to do with their time. I want the platform to bring genuine value to society. 

Do you think we’re facing an epidemic of loneliness?

100%. People don’t talk about it enough. Loneliness doesn’t necessarily mean being alone but being in a state where you don’t feel supported and don’t have anyone to talk to. We want to help champion these people and make sure they’re doing things they want to do, not having to go along with what others want to do when slotting fun and leisure into their lives. I also aim to champion good causes and make people feel good in the process. 

What have been the essential factors that have enabled you to get to where you are today that you think you'd struggle without?

I had some savings to bootstrap the company and I wouldn’t have been able to get to where I am without that buffer. Having good people around me has been essential. I struggle to find female founders to talk to, which is essential as being a female founder can be lonely.

What do you think is missing from businesses in building true diversity?

I think there are two things. Awareness; you don’t know what you don’t know. Your parents would have done things a certain way, exposing you to a collection of people and places. You don’t think about it but being in certain circles means that you may have a lack of awareness of different cultures and ways of living. And then there’s resources. It can be difficult to find good female developers and those from ethnic backgrounds that can do the job you want them to do.

Who's a woman to watch or someone you admire in 2020?

Kerstin Robinson, co founder of Nix and Kix, has been really inspirational to me personally. I saw a talk with her when I was really in need of some advice from a female founder. I took her for coffee and she kindly took the time to talk to me and offered me great advice. There is a huge lack of support for women and Kerstin has taught me the importance of giving back as much as taking help when I need it.

Keep updated on Zebee’s events and movements on Facebook and Instagram.

The Female Focus: Lynsey Pollard

Lynsey Pollard is determined to make all bookshelves diverse

We met Lynsey when we hosted our joint marketing and PR workshop with Mac&Moore and Startups Magazine and were so excited to hear more about her business, Little Box of Books, whose ambition is for more children to see themselves in stories.

“We want to be the benchmark to highlight the industry of inaction and the need for change.
”

Did you have a female role model or someone you admired as a kid? 

Yes. I grew up in a small village in the North East, where there wasn’t much going on. But there was a library. From age nine I was sneaking books from the teen section - (like Harry Potter going for the restricted books at Hogwarts). I accidentally picked up a Judy Blume book and she immediately became my hero. ‘Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret’ absorbed me and opened up a whole new world  that I didn’t know existed. Judy Blume was the first young adult writer who covered topics like sex, that were absolutely taboo. She wanted to make teenagers feel less alone. By simply writing honestly about real life experiences she created massive controversy. I still love her now. 

How do you think your early years have influenced what you do today?

I was a huge reader, there wasn’t much to do living on a farm, so reading was what I did. It was my escapism. My parents definitely taught me to make a difference. My mum used to be a social worker, working on different cases in deprived areas, which taught me the spirit of generosity. They were also part of the church and whilst I rebelled against that part of my childhood, their philanthropy has influenced the work I do today. I want to create freedom for families and books help do this. By reading stories and different life experiences children can feel less alone. 

You are a former journalist and you have years of experience working in communications. Has your career path and skills made your new venture any easier?

There are a lot of life experiences and skills that can make life easier and there are definitely things that I have brought to the business. I was Head of Media at Samaritans and Great Ormond Street Hospital, so I take it for granted but the communication of the brand and knowing how to create exposure comes easy to me. I have a vast network of contacts that I lean on too. Your life is a set of building blocks and you use the blocks at different times. I’m now working closely with people who I met fleetingly years ago in various jobs. 

“By reading stories and different life experiences children can feel less alone. ”

We’re really excited about Little Box of Books. It’s time that children’s books reflected the diverse society we live in. What’s your ambition for the brand as it starts to take off? 

We set up as a business because we want to prove to the publishing industry everybody school and home should have a diverse bookshelf. Paths into publishing are cemented and archaic. There is a belief that certain books aren’t commercially viable and we’re here to show that there is a demand. People have been looking for these books and haven’t been able to find them. Our ambition is for more children to see themselves in stories. BAME children often won’t see themselves in books as the characters are predominantly white, whilst there are hundreds of relics in school libraries of boys portrayed as the heroes, rarely girls. A recent article indicated that children’s career ambitions are set by the time they’re 7. If a child is in an environment where their parents don’t work and the books they read reinforce this, it’s crucial to change their outlook. It’s also important for the economy to encourage children to reach their full potential. We are part of that machinery. We want to be the benchmark to highlight the industry of inaction and the need for change.

We’ve had a great reaction from writers, frustrated with the lack of inroads on diversity and inclusion in literature. We’re championing quality to ensure the books we supply are as top quality as those from reputable publishers. 

Has the literary world taken too long to catch on to diversity? What has been the reaction to your mission so far?

Yes - it’s a tough one. Publishers need to commission more writers and illustrators of colour, they need to commission stories that reflect a diversity in cultures, that speak to a broader range of society. There’s a long line of talented people waiting for the opportunity to publish their stories. It’s outrageous that an industry that produces material for children is not more carefully regulated like the TV industry. It’s not that publishing doesn’t want to be more diverse, it’s just taking far too long to get there. 

Do you have a piece of advice for those looking to start a business? 

Presuming you’ve got the idea and are in the early days of starting your business, here’s my advice. You’ve got to know what you’re going to use social media for. Be strategic, otherwise it will amplify your biggest fears and suck time away from potentially more important things. So understand your end goal. Also look after yourself, to maintain your own mental health and wellbeing. You’ll be consistently challenged so pour into yourself so you can continue to think creatively, challenge yourself and be bold . Finally, know who your cheerleaders are and you may find them in the most unexpected places. A couple of weeks ago we were contacted by the founder of a production company, who has 2 adopted mixed race children. He loves Little Box of Books and offered to shoot a series of films for us for free. Christmas came early!

What have been the essential factors that have enabled you to get to where you are today that you think you'd struggle without? 

I don’t think I can answer this question without mentioning privilege. It’s really tough to start a business. I was a single mum with my first kid and managed to carry on my career at the same time. I was lucky enough to make ends meet to do this. When I set up Little Box of Books my partner invested in it to start it up which enabled me to kickstart it whilst on maternity leave with my second child. More information needs to be shared on how women can get funding to support their startups as there’s less that goes around. Also, my cheerleaders have helped pick me up and keep me motivated, as I don’t have endless assuredness to keep me going!

What do you think is missing from businesses in building true diversity? 

I think it’s about the honest conversation of the network you bring to your business and facing the reality that we all have prejudices which can be hard to face up to. Business leaders need to confront them and look outside their networks. Maybe you consider your network to be diverse but you need to be intentional and committed to the process as various groups don’t have access to training and knowledge. As we look at growing Little Box of Books in the future we want our staff to look like our business. You can’t just talk about representation and inclusion, you need to be authentic and live it.

Who's a woman to watch or someone you admire in 2019? 

Gina Miller, for sure. She has been stoic in the face of abuse. She is doggedly determined to do the right thing. There is controversy around her every move to challenge the government and she shows up again and again with an unbreakable will for justice. Incredible. 

Stay abreast of Lynsey’s journey and The Little Box of Books on Twitter and Instagram.

The Female Focus: Tobi Ruth Adebekun

A senior comms associate, international at Snap, Tobi’s helping to lead the change to authentically talk to millennials.

We first met Tobi through the BME PR Pros initiative and were gripped by her genuine passion to learn and challenge the diversity issue in the PR world. We caught up with her on what makes her her.

Did you have a female role model or someone you admired as a kid?

I can’t think of anyone other than my mum! Her marriage to my dad is quite unusual, especially for Nigerians - my parents are quite 50:50. Growing up, she was working as much as my dad and didn’t give up her job, even with 4 kids under 10. And my grandparents encouraged my parents - especially my dad - to support each other in all ways. As a result, I’ve never felt pressured into thinking my life is solely about settling down and having a family. 

How do you think your early years have influenced what you do today?

In a big way, I think. I’m sure I’ve always been a chatterbox. I lived in London until I was 5 and from there, we were always moving around so I had to make new friends again and again. It has meant that I’m not really afraid of new experiences, it doesn’t phase me. One year, I moved school three times!

My ability to establish a rapport with people has stood me in good stead in PR. Being part of a big family and church means that I’m always prepared for the unpredictability of people and craziness of genuine community. Family friends will often arrive completely unannounced at my parent’s house and I love it. 

Your favourite PR campaign/stunt of 2019 so far?

My favourite campaign of the year has to be the 56 Black Men movement by Cephas Williams. Not only is the photography striking, but the message is loud, clear and unapologetic. A wonderful black woman once said to me ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ and Cephas is doing an incredible job of making people see. Through elevating the stories of just a handful of people, he has shifted the narrative around, and public perception of black boys and men here in the U.K. in a very tangible way. I’m excited to think about how many young black boys have been inspired already, and how the movement will evolve in the future. 

You’re part of the team at Snap managing communication and media relations internationally. What’s been your proudest moment at Snap to date? 

Just this April we had our first partner summit. As we were rolling up to it, it honestly almost killed us! We had media from all over the world packed into one room for briefings. Evan (our CEO) began his keynote and in that moment, all that hard work was worth it. It signalled to the industry that we’d grown up as a company and it was a turning point, with lots of really positive coverage. We’d moved from a company that had a reputation of being closed to being open. It felt great to be part of it. 

Travel enthusiast, Tobi

What can brands be doing better to engage with millennials authentically?

It’s about being true to themselves and making sure that authentic intention underpins everything they do. Many brands try to engage millennials but that part often doesn’t add up. At Snap we want our platform to be a place of real self-expression - those values hold true to everything we do. I think brands need to also remember they don’t need to reach the whole world because there’s enough room for everyone. 

We met you through the BME PR Pros / PRWeek Mentoring Scheme. What urged you to join?

I’ve known Elizabeth Bananuka, the founder, for a few years now. And when I met her, I wanted to be around her more. She is encouraging, kind and an absolute gogetter. She made a Facebook group a few years ago which has been valuable to me in connecting with other BMEs in the industry and since then, she’s never lost the momentum. The community created by Elizabeth is one that is safe and provides a touchpoint for BMEs looking to get into the PR industry and move up. 

The BME PR Pros/PRWeek Mentoring Scheme has been incredibly valuable to me. My mentor is Adrian Ma, founder of Fanclub PR. He has been an amazing sounding board and has guided me through challenges I’ve faced over the past year. 

What do you think is missing from businesses in building true diversity?

Intention, ruthless intention. Businesses need to be willing to do what it takes. Many businesses see it as a nice to have but they must be up for the hard work. It’s expensive and it’s lengthy. 

More guidance is needed for parents too, in what actually exists out there. They often direct kids to what they know and so this education piece is very important too. 

Do you think the PR industry is making enough headway in this department?

There are a lot of great initiatives out there, like the Taylor Bennett Foundation, which is great for internships. And then of course there’s Elizabeth and BME PR Pros, who is spearheading a  lot of this too. I’m really excited about the Blueprint, which is going to make a real impact on the industry. 

How do you keep learning while on the job? 

I meet with different people and get to know what they do and how they do it. I met with another woman from the PR Week 30 Under 30 and she does a lot of broadcast work, which is something I rarely. I also learn from my colleagues and I have a brilliant boss too. Learning on the job is the best way to not forget!

Who's a woman to watch or someone you admire in 2019?

A woman - or rather some women - to watch have got to be the girls behind VAMP PR, a social marketing agency that focuses on ‘representing the unrepresented’. I met one of the cofounders, Ruby, and we spoke about their journey so far. They are doing some really incredible work supporting up and coming influencers, putting them forward for opportunities, connecting them to brands and simply being a trusted cheerleader and support. They are a finalist in the 2019 Black British Business Award this year - and I really hope they win! 

Follow Tobi on LinkedIn to find out what she’s up to.

The Female Focus: Michelle Morgan, Founder of Pjoys

This superstar female is trying to make mental health an everyday conversation

On World Mental Health Day we talk to Michelle Morgan, Founder of Pjoys, an innovative new brand using the joy of art and the comfort of PJs to share helpful and hopeful stories on mental health. Michelle is an award-winning founder of 5 purpose-led businesses and winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. She came up with the idea for Pjoys after experiencing first hand what it’s like to mentally burn out and sink into anxiety and depression. During her recovery, the pyjamas that had held her back became her inspiration.

“The things that make us vulnerable to poor mental health also make us superstars.
”

Did you have a female role model or someone you admired as a kid?

Not really. If I was pushed, I would say Cagney and Lacey – a female cop US drama. They were inspirational characters; a single woman and a wife and mother.

How do you think your early years have influenced what you do today?

If you’d asked me a few years ago I’d say they didn’t influence me at all. But now I know they did. There are so many clues. From failing my exams – I wasn’t academic and I got chucked out of college. To my parents splitting up and my dad leaving. We are reunited now but I wasn’t in contact with him for a long time. The impact my mum had on me was huge, getting me into volunteering early on. From the age of 15 I was helping Barnardo’s. 

Looking at myself now, I am driven by purpose and making a difference. There are different parts of my life that have brought out the need to prove myself. It was my wilderness years where I came to find out what I enjoyed, realising I was quite good at advertising, as well as volunteering. I have taken some strange steps and funny jobs, for example, working for a careers service in Brighton. But these are all clues in my drive to help people and exercise my creativity. When I got into agency land and met Sam Conniff Allende, we wanted to save the world through marketing and we set up Livity to do this. 

 You’re the epitome of a successful entrepreneur. First, setting up the very successful youth marketing agency Livity, to more recently taking your Mental Health First Aid programmes into organisations. And now Pjoys. But it has come at a price - your mental health. What happened and how did you deal with the struggle? 

Entrepreneurship has always appealed to me and has ultimately shaped me. It gives me the freedom to feel like I can race along and make a difference. At Livity, we were trying to prove a model not proven – of giving equal focus to purpose and profit, for the benefit of young people. We started up a challenger agency in our 20s and we didn’t have much experience. I spent 15 years in the day to day of Livity which were fun but it came at a cost. A year into it I met my husband and 2 years later I had a baby, juggling work and motherhood. I reached physical and mental burnout at the end of 2016 - from intense years at Livity and pressure I put on myself in the years previous. 

I work hard on not working hard. It’s a daily discipline. When things are on a roll I have created businesses I’m passionate about but this means I also have to be mindful of spotting signs and symptoms of working too hard. Thought patterns, brain fog, forgetfulness. They’re all signs I’m squeezing too much in and not being kind to myself. 

We’re really excited about the Pjoys concept. What’s your ambition for the brand as it starts to take off? 

It depends what day you ask me! I’m trying to live by the mantra of ‘slowly and joyfully’, which means one day at a time. I haven’t done anything in the right order. I’m trying to set up a product business, which is different to what I know. I have gone into it wanting to enjoy it. I came out of my burnout, depression and anxiety and I took time to recover. When I teach mental health first aid, recovery looks like different things to different people. I still have a vulnerability to depression and anxiety because I throw myself into startups and purpose led businesses, which do require that extra mile and risk of burnout. On ambitious days I want Pjoys to be the Patagonia of pyjamas - from the get go Patagonia thought about ethics, sustainability, the ability to campaign and be joyful. Through Pjoys, I want us to celebrate art at a global level where we all (if possible) can be joyful and have a sense of purpose and meaning but that is not draining us of the planet’s resources. And most importantly create a brand and business that is helping to make mental health an everyday conversation.

Pjoys has been going for 4 months completely organically, with crowdfunding behind us. We’ve seen how by wearing Pjoys and talking about mental health, people have opened up about their mental health in return. Things have started to happen quickly, with Fenwick agreeing to be a key partner and our first retailer relationship in the lead up to World Mental Health Day and an amazing 5 days of showing at London Fashion Week.

“It’s time for businesses to embrace both the ‘moral imperative and commercial advantage’ of talking about mental health more easily and openly.”

Are businesses doing enough to support good mental health of staff? 

There is a big sea change - businesses are starting to do more. I am a proud ambassador for MHFA England and we’re seeing that growth in support is not slowing down. A lot of this has coincided with Prince Harry and other high profile people being brave enough to speak out. When I was in the middle of my mental health crisis, I felt like I was getting all these messages on the radio / TV talking about the stigma of mental health. The idea was helping me with the recovery. 

But there is still a long way to go and many businesses are still behind the curve, whilst lots are engaging rapidly and for the right reasons. It’s time for businesses to embrace both the ‘moral imperative and commercial advantage’ of talking about mental health more easily and openly. If you can’t do it from a moral perspective then do it from a commercial point of view. The majority of people who experience poor mental health haven’t sought help and they’re showing up at work. There is a cost to business as well as their own health, of course. But what people don’t realise is that looking after our employees’ mental health is big in business benefits. The things that make us vulnerable to mental health also make us superstars. 

If we know that white middle class men in their 40s and 50s are the highest contingent taking their own lives, we need to focus on the underlying reasons and take the whole group in helping them talk more. We could help reduce suicides and at a macro level address the male dominant streak - without the act of talking being perceived as ‘feminine’. 

Do you have a piece of advice for those looking to start a business?

Without a doubt; make it something you love. It’s an often given answer for a reason - you will have to put your heart and soul into it. Doing it slowly and joyfully might make the journey more enjoyable and protect you and other people along the way. When we go more slowly things happen that wouldn’t have happened if we were racing. We’re the lean bit of a lean startup - we’re not going as fast as we could. Sometimes this means we have to ask for forgiveness, such as delays on deliveries, because getting it right and without causing damage to people and planet is critical to us. We’ve also been able to make improvements to our supply chain by going slower. We like our intention: to be able to be thoughtful about our supply chain, from our banking to our fabric suppliers, to our artists. We’ve been given a BCorp pending status because of these steps.

I would also say, don’t dismiss the idea of a side hustle. Give it a new name if that makes it easier to embrace or play with. It’s a great way to have a go before having to give up all your security of income. And test it out. Ask your employer if you can do 4 days a week, which could bring in loads of benefits to their business. You’re no less of an entrepreneur by doing it in baby steps. The harsh reality of running a business is that you’re not going to be brilliant at everything and you won’t be able to do it all, so get people in to help you wherever you can.

How do you keep learning more while on the job? 

By putting myself into a sector and type of business I’ve never done before! I could just be a consultant and deliver training (and have a lot more time to myself) but I love making these businesses that feel bigger than me. Even though Pjoys is still very little, we are touching so many lives. I don’t mean to sound trite but the evidence is there that talking about mental health removes the stigma and people are more likely to get better more quickly. There’s something exciting about making pj’s with beautiful artistry and receiving messages from customers of how they’re changing their lives. One woman who was suffering from postnatal depression told us she could have done with some Pjoys 2 years ago. We hope we open up thousands more conversations like this. 

What have been the essential factors that have enabled you to get to where you are today that you think you'd struggle without?

The things that make me vulnerable to poor mental health are the same things that have made me successful. It’s a combination of risk and protective factors that influence mental health. I look at using a similar formula when looking at my own success and the motivators. Failing academically at school and taking a long time to find something I liked doing and was good at doing held me back. But my patience and determination - the things that make me me - helped to motivate me and find the creative world and eventually Livity, which straddled purpose and creativity.  

What do you think is missing from businesses in building true diversity?

It takes a lot of effort and commitment to make an organisation diverse from a process, operational, cultural and leadership place. Livity was always a champion of diversity but sometimes, without intention, we’d enter the office and wonder where did everyone go? Business is business. But actually it’s not rocket science. It goes back to that commercial advantage, which is just as relevant to diversity as it is for mental health. Why aren’t businesses spending time and effort towards this? We know that diverse teams make better work. If you look at Pjoys we have a bias toward women. You might say it’s good but it’s still a bias. We must address this across our network and supply chain so it evens out. It’s not easy. And we’ll remain conscious of it as we build the business and try to address it. 

Who's a woman to watch or someone you admire in 2019?

Watch out for MadC, who is one of our artists. Her name is Claudia but called herself MadC when she became an artist to stay ungendered. She’s German, a mum of 2 and she inspires me. She didn’t use the colour pink in her artwork in the first 5 years because she thought it would open up judgement about her gender. She moves around the world with her family and is so strong and tiny at the same time.

Keep up to date with Michelle on Twitter and her Pjoys journey on Instagram and Twitter.

THE FEMALE FOCUS: EMMA HAMMETT

Meet the Founder of First Aid For Life

We met Emma through our work with the British Library and we’ve seen her business grow and grow through sheer passion and determination for giving people the confidence and tools to save lives. Here’s her story!

“Empowering people with the skills and confidence to administer first aid, saves lives and prevents life altering injuries”

Did you have a female role model or someone you admired as a kid? 

My older sister, her daughter and my mother, certainly. All three women epitomise everything I strive for - to work hard, have integrity, look after other people and to have a legacy. My sister was twenty years older than me, had been a very successful nurse and sadly she is no longer with us. She was involved in a car accident which left her brain damaged and my niece (and my sister’s wonderful husband) were her carers for twenty years. My mother had seven of us and worked extremely hard, always put the family first, therefore she wasn’t able to do what she wanted and really achieve her own ambitions sadly until after my father died, when I was 9 and the only one still at home. We had great fun together and our family remains very close. She had always been a grafter, making sure we had everything we needed. She taught me that you get out what you put in. I hope that I am passing this mantra onto my children. 

How do you think your early years have influenced what you do today?

I have always worked hard and as an entrepreneur, resilience is so important. It’s come from being a headmaster’s daughter and having a huge, supportive family. As kids we always mucked in, helping my dad out with things like sending out letters to parents. There’s over 150 people in our close family and we all keep in touch and lean on each other. There’s a strong ethos towards education and health in our family’s careers and interests and doing things that help other people. Having that security of a family voice and values influence me hugely.

You trained as a nurse before setting up First Aid For Life. Tell us what made you start the business.

As a nurse, particularly in A&E, you see time and time again situations where first aid has been positive or sometimes it hasn’t happened, because someone has misunderstood something. There was a pivotal moment when I was looking after a little boy and the mother spilled hot coffee over him. She ran outside with the screaming child to get help, when what she should have done is run cool water over the burns - just simple first aid. He suffered severe burns and secondary infections, which could have easily been prevented. Empowering people with the skills and confidence to administer first aid, saves lives and prevents life altering injuries. It was frustrating knowing how many people could have avoided A&E altogether had they known how to help and give appropriate first aid in the emergency.  

Fabrice Muamba came perilously close to death on the football pitch. His life was saved with a defibrillator and treatment that is readily available if people have the skills and confidence to step forward. First aid saves lives and prevents minor injuries becoming major ones. 

We do loads of work in schools to prevent knife crime and we know that the overall impact is positive when first aid is taught in schools. In Scandinavia, it is compulsory learning in schools and their survival rates following cardiac arrest are 3 times better than ours. Take road accidents; the UK is one of the only countries in Europe where first aid isn’t a mandatory part of the driving test. Elsewhere, if you’re hit by a car or knocked off a bike someone will know what to do and they’ll carry a kit in their car. That’s when you start seeing a real impact. We’re still chipping at the edges.

You are positive impact personified! What have been some of the most positive results come from the work you do?

We receive loads of lovely messages thanking us for what we do and for the impact our training has; from people saving people, to people saving animals. We are creating peace of mind giving people confidence that they would know how to help themselves or others in a medical emergency. If a child starts choking, they’ll know whether it’s serious and they can act calmly and know the majority of the time they will be able to help. It takes away the panic, that it’s not going to be a disaster. We have so much free information to give people - for schools, new mums, nurses, carers, doctors and beyond. For those who don’t have the money, we can help them with information, which is all on the site. We have three books too (which are Amazon Bestsellers)- Burns, Falls and Emergency Calls; Slips, Trips and Fractured Hips and First Aid for Dogs. We train professionals as well as volunteers of charities, such as the MayTree Trust for suicidal crisis, as well as helping adults and children to learn these skills and working with people with learning disabilities to ensure everyone can gain access to these skills.

How do you keep learning more whilst on the job?

Learning is so important in different ways. I am well aware of sounding sense in the saying, “Use it, or you’ll lose it” so I am constantly trying to stimulate my mind. Learning from other businesses is just amazing and I love my peer mentoring, networking and mastermind groups, where we all support each other on our businesses. The British Library Business & IP Centre is also incredibly helpful - it puts on loads of events with a host of business owners to guide us on what works and what hasn’t worked. I really loved working as a mentor with the British Library and getting to know another business in detail, digging deep to help them find new ways forward and maximise their business potential. I am an active member of the Guild of Nurses and the Guild of Health Writers. I do a show with Talk Radio and Eamonn Holmes, which keeps me on my toes. Tomorrow, I am on a mental health first aid course as there’s so much confusion between physical and mental health. We need to understand as a society how we address mental health and the connection with physical. As employers we can do a lot to care for staff wellbeing.

It’s also nice to learn things that aren’t to do with work. Last week I took a day off to visit a National Trust property and my daughter and I have started Spanish lessons too. The beauty of running your own business is that you can adjust your own hours to do the things that matter.

One of many free resources from First Aid for Life

What have been the essential factors that have enabled you to get to where you are today that you think you'd struggle without? 

My supportive family, for sure. My husband, children and extended family appear all over my books and blogs and are happy to appear in various states of distress. I stress that no one’s been injured in the making of these images (!). My admin team are utterly fab and their attention to detail is superb, it is vital to recognise that members of the team are often better at elements of my business than me. It is critical to be able to delegate, without this, the business can’t grow. Start delegating and stop doing things that you are not best at, or don’t fuel your passion, as otherwise you will just trade your time for money. The only way to grow exponentially is to get other people on board.

I think as an entrepreneur you need to understand what you are good at and what aren’t your strengths. You also need a huge dollop of resilience, self-motivation and dogged determination. When I set up there were a lot of doubters, which wasn’t helpful. The first person that didn’t choose to book with me, I took personally, which is ridiculous in hind-sight as no-one has a 100% conversion rate. I soon learnt that it’s about getting to a point where you’re working with people you want to work with, who understand your personal and business values and become part of your tribe. 

Where do you get your inspiration?

All sorts. A lot of the time it’s other businesses. My family too; my son was responsible for me building the first online first aid course for Zombie Apocalypse! My customers often suggest topics and courses and we are always listening and reacting to their feedback. Overall, I have a real desire to leave a positive legacy and create a positive impact. You only get one chance at this life and I would like to leave it knowing that I have enabled more people to access life saving first aid skills and that the world is consequently a slightly safer place. 

What do you think is missing from businesses in building true diversity? 

It’s something businesses should be thinking about but when they’re starting up and ensuring that their language and accessibility enables diversity. However, the reality is that people in small businesses generally recruit based on need and suitability for the position and diversity becomes a secondary factor.

What are you working on this year?

I want to do a lot more for schools, we have produced a wealth of invaluable free resources and I am also working on a campaign around preventing non-accidental injury – such as child and elder abuse. We have set up a social cause called http://www.staysafe.support with the support of RoSPA, Age UK, Dame Esther Rantzen, Hugh Pym (the BBC Health Correspondent) and Carolyn Cripps OBE, Fit for Safety; signposting older people and their carers, to resources to help them remain fit and well. There are many issues for older people, from their susceptibility to falls, to fraud and loneliness. I am also ensuring that we’re creating loads more quality content that resonates with the audience and press. 

Who's a woman to watch or someone you admire in 2019?

What a difficult question: Emma Watson holds herself with integrity and is a strong ambassador and great role model. Meghan Markle and Michelle Obama are similarly trying to leave a positive legacy and stand up for their beliefs. I also admire the people of my son and daughter’s generation who, as young people, often get a knocking but are still able to be focused, with a sense of integrity and strong work ethic. It’s a tough world out there and I think it could be even harder for the next generation.

Name the quote you live by

‘Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today’. There’s often too much overthinking going on and people dilly dally striving for perfection – once it is good, get your message out there. You can perfect it afterwards.

Catch up with Emma’s next move for saving lives on Twitter and Instagram!

THE FEMALE FOCUS: EMMA SEXTON

Meet Emma, Serial entrepreneur and Connector

She is the epitome of the word ‘entrepreneur’ and we’re never sure how she makes time to run her business MYWW™, present on talkRADIO for The Badass Women’s Hour, advise at board level on design strategy to brands and businesses, feature as Creative Pool Top 100 Influencer 2017 & 2018 and take up the post of Creative In Residence at King's College, London, Entrepreneurial Institute. Phew!

“I am a bit tired of businesses who decide on a set of values to operate by and decorate them onto a wall but in reality they never get authentically lived”

Did you have a female role model or someone you admired as a kid?

I can’t remember anyone specifically but there were lots of people I admired for different reasons. There were those who intrigued me and had attributes of the person I wanted to become. I suppose I was drawing up my own human Pinterest board. I don’t mean celebrities, I mean people I looked up to and thought, “I want to do that one day”. I was aware of a theme I was drawn to and it was those running a business or a person’s mindset towards life.

How do you think your early years have influenced what you do today?

As much as I had a great upbringing I don’t think I was exposed to enough of the world as a child. I lived in a very comfortable bubble. My desire to go to London and then to finally move here really opened up my world. I had never felt like I fitted because I know I wanted to experience a very different life than what I was seeing around me. I couldn’t identify with them in many ways and I really struggled with that. I sometimes wonder what I would be doing differently had I grown up around more diverse people, lifestyles and culture, for instance.

You’re a business founder, a broadcaster, a speaker and connector and you don’t have an office. How do you create a culture amongst the people you work with?

I can’t count the times I’ve heard people say, “if we don’t have an office, we don’t have a culture”. This couldn’t be further from the truth. At MYWW™, our culture is built on the way we communicate - it is about how we interact with each other, be that face-to-face or via a smartphone. I am a bit tired of businesses who decide on a set of values to operate by and decorate them onto a wall but in reality they never get authentically lived. From the very first day I started my business the culture has been focused on being respectful to one another. We embrace candour and honesty and make sure we have the difficult conversations. We also just get the fucking work done while weaving our lives around our client’s needs. There have definitely been some learnings mastering this approach but it works. It’s a culture we can sustain because it is authentic and people can thrive as individuals.

You’re a propagator for pushing real women’s conversations into the mainstream and redesigning ‘business as usual’ to make it better, not just for women but for everyone. What would be the first thing you’d do in your redesign?

I feel like I am doing it all the time by allowing people to weave life into their work and challenging our traditional ‘masculine’ approach to business. As an employee you are often a resource - there to make someone else more money while the business interest is in paying you the least. I stand by a people first, business second principle. I do not have a business without great people so my job is to keep my team content so they can do the best job for our clients. Happy team = happy client!

What do you think is missing from businesses in building true diversity?

A lack of consciousness. It’s about consciousness versus unconsciousness. If you’re unconscious you’re only seeing the world from your point view. If you’re conscious you learn that there are things you haven’t experienced that others have and you try really hard to understand this as best you can. We have lived in a very one dimensional society for so long and it’s high time we all listen more, raise our awareness and massively dial up our empathy.

What does ‘badass’ mean to you?

For me, it’s about living life on your terms. It’s about being authentic, seeing multiple dimensions to one thing and choosing the one that fits with you and how you want your life to be.

You are positive impact personified! What have been some of the most positive results you’ve seen from the work you do?

It makes me happy that I can make my staff happy. Recently, one of my employees told me that MYWW™ has changed her life. She’s always worked agency-side and was never able to balance work with looking after her child. Now, she can do pick-up from school, work at home when she chooses and vary the times of days she works. She’s happier, less stressed, and no longer feeling like she’s torn between two worlds. That’s important to me. The more money I make the more I can help others live happier work lives. Work has become such a cumbersome thing where people end up self medicating at the weekend and head towards extremes to escape their working lives. It doesn’t have to be this way. I had read so much about better ways to work and what we need to be happy human beings, now I am practicing it rather than talking about it and always happy to share my learnings with anyone else who wants to know how to make it work for them.

“(Being a badass) is about living life on your terms”

How do you keep learning more whilst on the many jobs you have?

I think having a mindset that the more I know the more I realise I don’t know! And you don’t have a choice to keep learning if you want to have a successful business! I am a work in progress and want to keep evolving even if I am 90 years old. As the business changes, I change with it. As I change, the business changes. The day I don’t want to learn is probably the day I am done with life!

What have been the essential factors that have enabled you to get to where you are today that you think you'd struggle without?

Resilience; overcoming fear of rejection; sheer bloody mindedness!

Where do you get your inspiration?

People always inspire me. There are lots of different sources and I keep it varied in the types of people I interact with. Working with the ventures at King’s in my role as Expert in Residence on their award winning accelerator scheme has opened up my eyes to new ideas, technology and fresh business perspectives. Every year, through the initiative, I meet over 40 of some of the smartest entrepreneurs from all the over the world - I gain so much from my sessions with them.

You’re constantly interviewing interesting women on a weekly basis as part of the Badass Women’s Hour. Who's a woman to watch or someone you admire in 2019?

We had an amazing author on, called Tomi Adeyemi, who is the author of the very successful book ‘Children of Blood and Bone’. Her interview was so inspiring so she was one (of so many guests) who really stood out for me. Tomi is only 21 and tipped to be next JK Rowling. She had always really wanted to be an author and hearing her journey of how she went from quitting her job to getting the book published was really special. As a teenager she’d been fixated with fiction but could never identify with it because of her African heritage. She’s rewritten for the genre from her perspective.

Name the quote you live by

“The world will not invite you to the feast. You must burst in, demand a seat, and take it.” John Carlton

I realised early on that no one was going to go, ‘here you go Emma, here’s all the opportunities you are waiting so patiently for’, so I got my head down, decided what I wanted and worked bloody hard to get them all - but I am not stopping yet!

Keep up to date with what Emma does next (we’re sure there’ll be something exciting) on Twitter and Instagram.

THE FEMALE FOCUS: CAROLINE HAILSTONE

Meet Caroline, a Content Writer, Journalist & Producer at The Fable Bureau and Pioneers Post

She’s a multi-hyphenate of our era, straddling roles at both the creative agency for social ventures as well as at the mission-driven magazine. She’s also an incredible musician, roaming the streets with her street orchestra collective. She’s an old colleague and we love what makes her tick. Read on!

Did you have a female role model or someone you admired as a kid?

My mum. As long as I’ve been alive she has always helped people in the community. She runs the local soup kitchen and always takes the load of everyone else. My friends at school too - they are ambitious and go-getting and still are.

Caroline on location for a production job

How do you think your early years have influenced what you do today?

Studies show that older siblings have more traditional roles, paving the way for their younger siblings to often do more creative things. That’s certainly true in my case. From a young age, my sisters and I were always encouraged to do everything drama to music. I was encouraged to do what I enjoyed. When I was at school, I realised early on that I was quite good at writing because my teachers would ask me to read out what I’d written to entire classrooms. I got to know that with writing you can tap into your non-thinking brain and not overthink so good stuff comes out.

You started your career in a marketing agency doing PR and social (with Clo)! What experiences did you develop there that have helped set you up for your role right now?

Loads of stuff - I definitely learnt the basics! I learnt to be strategic and I remember thinking, ‘why are we doing this campaign?’, ensuring that everything we did had an outcome. I also learnt how to do things on a smaller budget and the beauty of being creative with it, which has stood me in good stead in the area of social enterprise!

Caroline in action recording a podcast

Pioneers Post is setting the agenda for the new wave of responsible business leaders and social entrepreneurs. What businesses have peaked your interest lately?

Hey Girls, which tackles period poverty, for sure. It’s a good reminder that strong branding and marketing are important in creating social change. The brand is beautiful, it’s got a cool edge, it sells really nice products and has an ethical supply chain. The CEO Celia Hodson is really cool too - she used to be deputy Chief Exec of Social Enterprise UK - and she’s created a family business heaped in purpose.

What are the main barriers for businesses and social enterprises creating positive impact in the UK?

Standing out. Brands like Innocent, who launched the very successful Big Knit campaign to raise money for Age UK, give knitted hats to old ladies, have tapped into the social change bit but are not a social enterprise. So some social enterprises struggle to stand out from commercial brands doing good.

What do you think is missing from business in building true diversity?

It was interesting visiting the Diversity Forum recently. It’s a collective with a mission to drive inclusive social investment in the UK. Danyal Sattar, CEO of Big Issue Invest as well as John Bird, founder of the Big Issue spoke there. They told us about how the Big Issue was set up by the children of working class Irish immigrants, who saw themselves as diverse, but actually when they eventually looked around they realised they were full of white men.

You are positive impact personified! What have been some of the most positive results you’ve seen from the work you do?

Being part of the WISE 100 - Women in Social Enterprise Awards - has been really impactful in seeing change. WISE 100 brings 100 women together in a room and it’s like the FTSE 100 but for those in social enterprise. You see how passionate these women are to be a part of it and immense pride for being a woman in the space. I want to be a part of keeping these awards going, along with the passionate team I work with.

How do you keep learning more whilst on the job?

Sometimes it’s easy to keep a job easy when you know it inside out. But what keeps me on my toes are the monthly impact analysis meetings we have in place at The Fable Bureau / Pioneers Post. When we’ve made a film we will sit down together and assess as a team how we can make it better. It’s changed the way I think about doing my job and I am more conscious of how we can improve and get better.

Where do you get your inspiration?

At work I can get it from anywhere. In our meetings, we’ll bring films and documentaries that inspire us. I regularly go to galleries and concerts, which keep my mind ticking. I also play in Street Orchestra Live, where we play in hospitals and random places rather than concert halls. It takes away any sense of ego or any nervousness about making music, because it makes you realise that at the end of the day it should be about bringing people joy.

Street Orchestra Live

Who's a woman to watch or someone you admire in 2019?

All my teammates are cool, strong women. All 7 of us are women apart from the CEO and we keep our boss on his toes. We also work with Ealing Community Transport, which is a really important service for those who are immobile and would otherwise be stuck at home. Their CEO Anna Whitty is very cool and she stands her ground in what is a male-dominated industry.

Name the quote you live by

There isn’t one particular quote I live by, though recently I like the song ‘Make Love to Your Mind’ by Bill Withers...it’s cool to think about people you meet that make you intrigued with their minds.

And if you’re a social enterprise reading this, get on board with Caroline and the Pioneers Post team for a day of marketing and communications workshops, including a key note from the awesome Sam Conniff Allende. It’s on 26th February, with more details here. Follow Caroline and the teams at Pioneers Post and The Fable Bureau on Twitter.